Oversight Board terms of reference

The Ada Lovelace Institute Oversight Board is not a separate legal entity but is accountable to the Nuffield Foundation Board of Trustees. It works in a flexible and responsive way to support the Institute to continue to develop as a trusted and dynamic organisation, incubated by and working closely with the Nuffield Foundation team.

The Oversight Board aims to reflect the needs of the organisation, to:

• demonstrate independence
• resonate with the wider data ethics domain, the AI and tech sector, and with academia, public policy and public services
• give funders assurance that their money is well spent and demonstrates impact
• operate in a proportionate way so as not to overburden a small organisation
• have a diversity of backgrounds and demonstrate relevant experience.

The Chair will work closely with Oversight Board members to:

• ensure that the Ada Lovelace Institute adheres to good governance principles
• ensure that the Oversight Board’s main focus is on strategy, performance and assurance, rather than operational matters, and reflects this in what it delegates
• oversee the strategy and remit of the Institute and advise the Director and Executive
• ensure quality assurance across work programmes
• articulate questions for focused enquiry, and support the most effective approach for investigation or deliberation and potential partners
• input into senior appointments to the Executive and Oversight Board members where required, including appointing the Director of the Institute alongside key institutional funders
• ensure that the Executive is committing expenditure in line with the terms of its grant and the goals of the strategic plan
• approve the annual budget and review the sustainability of income in the short, medium and long term, and assess the longer-term operating model and structure
• act as ambassadors for Ada.

The Chair and Director will report annually to the Board of Trustees of the Nuffield Foundation every July. In doing so it will outline its main activities and impact in a report that will be approved by the Ada Oversight Board beforehand. Where appropriate, its contents will be made public.